It is a problem in the art to display personal items or accessories, such as rings, bracelets, bangles, necklaces, watches and the like. It is a particular problem to insert and remove such personal items from a display rod or rack, since such items are typically continuous, that is, they comprise continuous, closed circles or loops and cannot be opened or closed.
Personal items or accessories, such as rings, bracelets, bangles, necklaces, watches and the like are often difficult to store and retrieve. One of the most common ways to store and display these personal items involves slipping them over an open rod-like storage device, often a simple wooden peg with one free end and with the other end secured to a door. Another common method for storage of personal items is the classic jewelry chest. Many people accumulate large numbers of these personal items and convenient, safe storage is always something of a problem.
It is especially difficult to conveniently store bracelets or bangles (a rigid bracelet) in a jewelry chest as these items tend to be considerably larger than other personal items such as earrings, rings or even watches. In addition, bracelets and bangles are often of more delicate construction. Many if not most, bracelets, bangles, rings and watches are continuous—that is, they comprise continuous, closed circles or loops and cannot be opened or closed. This construction can cause problems when attempting to secure these items over a closed rod-type storage unit—that is, a rod-type storage unit which is closed at each end. Even personal items that can be opened and closed can be difficult to secure on a rod-type storage unit since many of these items tend to be rather delicate and fragile.
A wide variety of devices have been provided over the years to conveniently store and retrieve personal items. These range from simple pegs with an open or free end and with the other end secured to a convenient surface such as the back of a closet door. In addition cup hooks screwed into a board, wall or door and also quite common storage devices. And, of course, the classic jewelry chest has been used for centuries as a jewelry storage device. Pegs or rods have to be individually mounted to the desired surface. In addition, the personal items may easily be dislodged from the peg or rod. These same problems occur when using cup hooks for storage. In addition, these personal items are often fragile and can easily be damaged or destroyed by a metal cup hook It is also easy to dislodge a personal item from one cup hook when removing another personal item from an adjacent cup hook Jewelry chests can also be problematic in that it is difficult to store larger items such as bracelets, bangles and necklaces in a jewelry chest because of size restraints. It is not unusual to have a bracelet or bangle exceed 4 inches in diameter and an inch in width. In addition, bracelets and bangles are often made of very thin metal and, consequently rather fragile. The same could be said of earrings, since many of them are also rather large and delicate. The size of a personal item can make it difficult to conveniently store the personal items in the typical jewelry box. In addition, it is always difficult to avoid damaging larger personal items when opening and closing drawers and/or doors in a jewelry box.
It is often quite convenient to store bracelets, bangles, watches and rings on a rode-like storage device. If the rod is securely mounted at one end and free at the other, the bracelet, bangle, watch or ring may simple be slipped onto the free end of the rod for storage and then removed when desired. The rod-like storage device often has to be mounted at an angle or provided with an enlarged tip to keep the personal item on the rod-like storage device. In other words, such rods are often generally vertical or mounted at a significant angle to the horizontal such that gravity will assist in keeping the personal items on the rod-like storage device.
Various devices have been provided in the prior art to resolve these issues and provide for more convenient storage and retrieval of personal items. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,118 to Phillips discloses an accessory holding device for holding a plurality of accessory devices such as hair clips, bows, barrettes, ties and other hair accessories as well as various items of jewelry. The device comprises a plurality of rod-like members closed at both ends which provide storage for items which may be clipped onto the rod-like storage members. In addition, open-ended rods are provided for slip-on storage of continuous items such as bracelets, bangles and/or rings. Internal attachment members, drawers, and retainers are provided to accommodate a wide array of items. The device may be relatively open, formed only with a base and sides, or be enclosed with top, back, and face plates, in differing embodiments. The device may also be provided with a mounting device so that the entire device may be hung on the wall, the back of a door, or other surfaces. The Philips device does not provide for the rod-like storage members to open such that continuous items like bracelets, bangles, rings and watches may be easily mounted on and/or removed from the rod-like storage members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,578 to Greiner discloses a jewelry holder with at least two movable and interchangeable stands and a base. The base may be in the form of a box with a slidable drawer in which a ring holder platform may be inserted. The base has a plurality of grooves to receive jewelry stands. The jewelry stands have various configurations to hold earrings, necklaces and bracelets. According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a ring holder having a platform and a plurality of mounds integrally formed on the platform. The mounds have a shape that allows rings to be stored thereon. One embodiment of the Greiner jewelry holder provides open-ended rod-like storage members for storage of continuous items like bracelets, bangles, rings, or watches; however, the Greiner holder does not does not provide for the rod-like storage members to be closed at each end so that items mounted thereon cannot fall off the rod-like storage member. Nor does the Greiner holder provide for rod-like storage members which can be opened and closed such that continuous items like bracelets, bangles, rings and watches may be easily mounted on and/or removed from the rod-like storage members.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,891,506 to Komowski discloses a jewelry holder and display comprising an upstanding post the lower end of which is secured to a circular base which, in turn, is rotatably supported on a larger diameter primary base such that the upstanding stem can be readily rotated about its longitudinal axis. The stem supports radially located extending pegs and also supports at its upper end a generally cylindrical cap-shaped receptacle member having a plurality of radially extending pegs selectively secured to its outer circumference for supporting jewelry items such as bracelets, bangles, watches, necklaces, and the like. All of the Komowski rod-like support members are pegs mounted at one end and open at the other such that jewelry items can fall off the peg. The Komowski holder does not provide for rod-like storage members which can be opened and closed such that continuous items like bracelets, bangles, rings and watches may be easily mounted on and/or removed from the rod-like storage members.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,053 to Geiger discloses a jewelry rack or holder comprising a framework of attractive vertical and horizontal wooden bars. The horizontal bars are provided with hooks for hanging small items such as rings and necklaces. In one embodiment, the vertical bars are provided with small drilled holes for receiving the shafts of pierced-type earrings. In another embodiment, a block of plastic material covered with cloth is utilized to removably secure the shafts of pierced-type earrings. The jewelry rack may be hung from a wall or it may include removable stands for supporting it in an upright attitude on a horizontal surface. The Geiger jewelry rack does not provide for rod-like storage members which can be opened and closed such that continuous items like bracelets, bangles, rings and watches may be easily mounted on and/or removed from the rod-like storage members.
U.S. Pat. No. D270,220 to Cuminale discloses an ornamental design for a bracelet display stand. The Cuminale invention provides for a base with two horizontal rods mounted on supports extending upwards from the base. The rods are closed at each end and appear to be capable of supporting continuous jewelry items like bracelets or bangles. Since the Cuminale patent is a design patent, there is no written description of how the apparatus is made or intended to be used other than a very brief description of the drawings. There is simply no information provided in Cuminale as to how bracelets, bangles, etc are inserted onto the display stand.